title: 8-OH-DPAT in the median raphe, dorsal periaqueductal gray and corticomedial amygdala nucleus decreases, but in the medial septal area it can increase maternal aggressive behavior in rats.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the role of somatodendritic autoreceptors and postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors in the modulation of maternal aggressive behavior. The 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin) was microinjected (0.2, 0.5 and 2.0 microg/0.2 microl) in different brain areas of female Wistar rats: median raphe nucleus (MnR); medial septal area (MS); anterior corticomedial amygdaloid nucleus (ACoM); and dorsal periaqueductal gray (DPAG). The behaviors of lactating female rats with pups against a conspecific male intruder were recorded on day 7 post-partum. Results showed that in the median raphe nuclei, in the dorsal periaqueductal gray and in the corticomedial amygdaloid nucleus 8-OH-DPAT decreased maternal aggression; while in the medial septum, the intermediate dose (0.5 microg/0.2 microl) of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist increased the aggressive behavior of the lactating female rat. It is concluded that the main role of the 5-HT1A somatodendritic autoreceptors and the post-synaptic receptors of the brain areas studied is to decrease maternal aggression, however, at a specific dosage, 8-OH-DPAT acting on postsynaptic receptors of the medial septal area can increase aggressiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: De Almeida
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Lucion
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin